


Warm Light

by Anonymous



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gladiators, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Author is a Technoblade Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Blaze Hybrid Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enderman Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff and Angst, Gay, GeorgeNotFound-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Human GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kinda, M/M, Multi, No Beta, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, RPG type of au, Realistic Minecraft, Sad Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Sapnap-centric (Video Blogging RPF), because someone has to be sort of normal here, but that's unrelated lol, dreams a hyrbid, i cant spell, i dont ship the ccs just their personas, just for a bit, no respawn, not to them tho, oh wait important tags, this is so gay, uh, we die like dream in the smp, why is it not a tag?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:00:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "Sapnap.""Yeah?""Did you just steal the man's wallet?""...No?"George groans.-In which Dream, Sapnap and George manages to find solace and family in each other.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 316
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Prelude I

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I'm writing for the fandom, even though I've been in it for a loooooong time.  
> Shame on me.
> 
> Do note that if anyone of them are uncomfy with the shipping I'll take it down.  
> I'm also praying that none of them find this
> 
> I've had this idea for a while so I hope that you readers will enjoy it! :D
> 
> CW:  
> Implied rape(not to any of them)  
> Graphic depictions of injuries and violence  
> Pain :')
> 
> Yes i think i'm done

"Get back 'ere you lil' troublemaker!"

Cart and barrels are overturned, the crowd yells and gasps in surprise as he darts and weaves in between. He casually turns his head around and sticks out his tongue, all while flipping the guard off and biting off one large chunk of the bread he'd just stolen. 

He loves it. The rush of being chased, the feeling of nerves trembling, his legs pumping and burning as they carry him away. It's the feeling of being alive. 

Stealing is fun, it's essential. He gets a high off the adrenaline flowing through his veins and he gets to live another day without starving to death. It's a win-win situation if you asked Sapnap. 

He doesn't mind living on the streets. He doesn't care that he lives in the lowest fraction of the kingdom. He doesn't have to worry about tarnishing the greatness of his family name or something stupid like that. 

If you asked Sapnap, he would tell you that he's free. He would tell you that he would much prefer this life as opposed to living comfortably in a large mansion, or maybe a simple village house. He would tell you that living on the streets is not as bad as one would think. 

_ (—but half of what he says is a lie. He won't say how much he longs to know what the warm touch of a loved one felt like. He won't tell you of how stealing was his only way of living as he teeters on the edge of death everyday. He won't tell you about the cold nights he'd spend laying awake on hard concrete, the feeling of loneliness seeping through the cracks of his skin. It leaks through until it reaches the narrow of his bones, fusing with every fiber of his being.—) _

Stealing is simple. It's easy. 

His stats for theft and trickery has probably almost maxed out—he'd need a communicator to check, something that he can't afford and can't be stolen—at the age of however long he's been alive.(he guessed he's around maybe 9 or 10, maybe 11, like hell he would know.) He'd say that he's an expert in the sleight of hand, an expert in the art of misdirection and acting vulnerable. And he could damn well nearly call himself a poet for all the times he's tricked fools with mere sugarcoated and flowery words, even if he could barely read a sentence on a sign. 

He would say that he was pretty good with his fingers, however that just brings up some thoughts that were rather... inappropriate, he would say. 

_ (—he hates that he knows of it. Children of decently well-off commoners and noble children were able to sleep soundly at night without overhearing grunts and pleas of 'no, no, please no! PLEASE STO—'. While they were able to live in blissful ignorance, he had to live with the sight of haunted eyes and abused bodies.—) _

He knows his way around a knife. Around a sword, if he wanted to be more accurate. The chipped iron sword of an apprentice blacksmith's failed attempt being one of the few prized possessions he owned. He'd never let it leave his side so long as he continues living in cardboard boxes just off the side of the road. 

_ (—and if he had hunted down the man responsible for the hollow eyes that wished for death late at night, no one would know. His corpse would make it onto the news just as any other body would.—) _

Sapnap cackles one last time before leaping off an edge and hiding in an alleyway. The alleyway. His alleyway. The narrow and dark path that leads nowhere is what he barely calls home. He slows to a stop and ducks behind a dumpster. 

It was only when he hears the sounds of footsteps running past and fading away, that he emerges from behind it and takes out the measly loaf of bread. The bread wouldn't even last him a day, the chase after him was fucking stupid. 

"Selfish bastards," he mutters under his breath and takes a bite. He slumps down against the wall and shudders, the thin, tattered clothing on his back doing nothing to warm him. He hates the king. He hates the guards. And hates the stupid snobby noblemen. The king does not care for his subjects, the guards were mindless meatheads bought over with money, and the nobles thought that they were gods. 

Sapnap is startled out of his brooding when he hears labored breaths. He freezes before relaxing, knowing that it wasn't the guards, he would have been arrested by now if it was them. It's not the kind made from disgusting pleasure, it's the kind made from exhaustion and pain. 

He looks up and is surprised by the sight of another kid. The boy is painting heavily, one of his hands resting on a knee, while the other rests against the wall and he tries to catch his breath. The boy was also facing the wall, leaving Sapnap unable to see his face. 

He's not surprised that the other, who is across him, was a boy, maybe around his age or a little older. It was a common sight to see children begging along the sidewalk, either alone or with some close ones. It was not unseen of children slaves being dragged around with a rope, like an animal or a dog. He was only surprised that the other looked healthy. 

Granted, he was a little on the skinny side. However, if one were to compare him and Sapnap, the kid could've passed off as a commoner's child. His clothes were relatively clean and quite plain. Just a slightly oversized lime green hoodie with white sleeves and pockets, a pair of cargo shorts that the boy was lucky enough to have that fit his stature and worn leather boots. 

The boy raises his forehead from the wall and looks over his shoulder. He jumps when he notices Sapnap, but otherwise shows no other emotion apart from the small display. 

Sapnap stays silent for a little while longer, taking in the face of the other boy. Well, not the face. Not exactly. The boy has a plain white mask obscuring his face from the nose up, a crude smiley face drawn on to the material. His hair was brownish, maybe dirty blond, however Sapnap couldn't tell. The boy could just be too dirty and it was too dark for Sapnap to guess. (he decides that he's at least blonde)

"Hi?" Sapnap croaks, and the raven is reminded that he needs to drink water, something he does not have. 

The masked boy shifts his weight from one foot to another. He doesn't make any sort of indication of acknowledging Sapnap, he just continues to stare at him. Sapnap shivers at the intensity of it. The silence is uncomfortable and it makes Sapnap antsy, fiddling with his fingers and he wishes smiley-mask boy would just respond. 

"Hello," the response is soft and Sapnap just barely hears it. He nods awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do, it has been a long time since he's had a normal interaction with another human being. 

"Uhh... Why're you here?" Sapnap asks, and cringes at how demanding he sounded. Smiley-mask, thankfully, either doesn't notice or doesn't care. 

"I was um, being chased?" Sapnap raises an eyebrow. 

"Yer asking me?"

"No...?"

Sapnap snorts and they settle into another bout of silence. He takes this chance to study mask boy again. He notes the small, worn brown satchel slung over a shoulder, and a small axe over his back. 

"...your name?" It takes Sapnap longer than it should for him to answer the question. 

"Uh, it's Sapnap. You?"

"Dream." 

"Nice to meet you, Dream."

Mask— Dream nods and walks to sit across from him. And to be honest, Sapnap's heart warms just a little at the idea of possibly gaining a friend. The blond in front of him settles against the wall and takes out an apple from his satchel and bites into it. 

The apple is fresh from what Sapnap can see, the juice from it dripping down the Dream's chin. It admittedly makes Sapnap hungrier. Dream seems to take notice of Sapnap's apparent lack of food, (when did he finish his bread?) and riffles through his satchel again. 

This time he tosses Sapnap another apple. Sapnap is at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. And before he could stutter out a response, Dream immediately waves him off. 

"It's fine, I've got three." Sapnap is skeptic now. 

"... Is it poisoned?"

Dream looks at Sapnap. 

Sapnap looks back, genuine curiosity on his face. 

Then he breaks. 

The sound of a kettle wheezing pierces the air before tapering off to the screech of a balloon deflating. The blond is hunched over, shoulders shaking, arms clutching his stomach. Sapnap can only watch mildly amused and mildly concerned. It takes Sapnap a few full seconds to realize that he was laughing and not dying, and chuckles along with him.

The laughter fades off to a chuckle and Dream incredulously tells Sapnap that, no, it was not poisoned. He nods and takes a bite. Relishing in the small refreshment provided to him, he decides that yes, Dream is now his newly dubbed best friend. 

The raven decides to tell him so and delights in the laughter that erupts from the boy across. Dream does not deny the friendship offered to him, he instead decides to shift closer to Sapnap. Now sitting shoulder to shoulder right next to Sapnap. 

The action makes Sapnap feel something bloom in his chest. It's unknown and unfamiliar, it is, however, not unwelcome. The new feelings make him feel warm, it makes his heart feel full. It brings overflowing happiness to Sapnap and he is unsure of what to do with it. 

The feeling gives Sapnap the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms the blond and never let go. The thought is odd, but not unpleasant, he thinks as he stares intently at the apple in hand. But he decides to squash down the idea in favour of shuffling closer to Dream. 

Sapnap leans against Dream and feels him lean back. The reciprocation is unexpected. And he is surprised even further when Dream hands him a full bottle of water(that shit was difficult for anyone to find  **and** steal), and drapes a small thin blanket over their laps. The gift might've been small to any other commoner, but to Sapnap it is like giving him a bag of gold and emeralds. 

It is then at this very moment Sapnap decides that he never wants to let Dream go. He decides that he's going to stick by him no matter what and that he's going to protect him regardless of what happens. 

Regardless of whether Dream has wronged the entire kingdom, even if there was only the worst left for him in the future, even if he knew little to nothing about the boy beside him, Sapnap will support him and Sapnap will fight for him. 

Sapnap will not fail him. 

* * *

_ This story tells the tale of the Sun, the stars, the fire. It tells the story of the Earth, its nature, and the ground. And it speaks of the moon, the sky and the seas. _

_ It sings praises of the Sun's warmth, it mentions that the Earth basks in the Sun's light. It loves and provides the Earth with warmth and light, protecting it from the harsh bites of the cold and the grips of darkness that's just around the corner.  _

_ But the sun is fire, it's hot and it burns. And this story does not warn of the dangers of getting too close. _

* * *

Sapnap thinks it's been a year since he's met Dream. He's never really counted the days and never will. But he assumes so when his birthday passed a few weeks ago and Dream helps him remember his age. 

(Dream told him what the date and year was. So Sapnap finds out that he's now 11 and was 10 when he met Dream. Dream tells him that he's two years older than him.)

Sapnap had to leave the slums of the kingdom with Dream after an unfortunate run-in with the palace guards. (Sapnap had stolen the guard's wallet, the guard unfortunately noticing Sapnap's suspicious character and checking his pockets.) Not wanting to get arrested, Sapnap snatched up Dream's wrist and ran. 

They were not ready in the slightest. 

Sapnap would say that during the year that he and Dream were still in the kingdom, they'd gotten relatively stocked up. Better iron swords (axe for Dream) were acquired— read, stolen—, their clothes were replaced with newer, not so tattered looking ones, and gained some leather-iron armor. 

However, they'd left the kingdom with only those items in hand, as well as one large sleeping bag that Dream had half the mind to steal as they were running. Now they were wandering aimlessly in the forest with barely any food in their bags (Dream gave Sapnap a satchel a few months ago), absolutely zero clue on where to go and no shelter even though the sun was setting. 

The sun was setting and Sapnap was terrified. He's never been outside the safety of the kingdom, well, as safe as the slums could get anyway. Like in the kingdom, everywhere and anywhere is dangerous at night. The dark is where hostile mobs reside, the dark is dangerous. 

Sapnap has never seen mobs before, much less fought one. So he's scared. Because unlike people, Sapnap doesn't know how mobs work. He doesn't know the way creatures think, he doesn't know how they move. 

He only knows that he can't talk his way out of it. 

Dream, unlike Sapnap, seems relaxed. He looks as if nothing he knows what may and will happen. He looks as if he knew the forest like the back of his hand. He looks as if he has done this time and time again. And he has. And he knows. 

Dream knows the way the forest works, the way the zombies, the skeletons, the creepers and the endermen think, how they move, how they attack. 

He knows the creepers take 3 seconds to detonate. 

He knows the skeletons take 3 seconds to reload, 1 to shoot. 

He knows that the endermen won't attack if you don't look into its eyes. 

He knows that the zombies are mindless creatures that have strength in numbers. 

Dream sees, he observes, he analyzes. 

He learns, he adapts and applies. 

Dream knows the land, he knows the terrain, he knows the monsters, but he doesn't know people. People have no rhyme, no pattern, their reasoning is lost on Dream. It takes Dream weeks, months, years to understand how a person thinks, how they move, how they talk. But Sapnap doesn't need weeks, he doesn't need months, he doesn't need years. 

Sapnap is like fire. He's warm, he's needed for Dream to survive, he's quiet in a way that Dream admires. He spins his words in the most comforting way possible for Dream, it's incredible and the blond can't imagine anyone better doing the same. Sapnap is soft, but he's also loud, he's destructive, he's destroyable. 

So when Sapnap starts panicking, Dream doesn't know what to do. When the mobs surrounded Sapnap just as his sword had broken, he panics. Sapnap panics and he bursts into flames. 

_ 'He burns like a dying star,' _ Dream distantly thinks as he watches. The mobs around him melts, leaving behind rotten corpses and bones left charred. Sapnap burns and panics and screams, the fire eats at his skin, it gently touches him and leaves burns. He's scared and not in control. He's scared and hurting. 

Dream shouts and gasps, he mindlessly stabs and slices at incoming mobs while he stumbles towards Sapnap. The raven is terrified, he's hurting and Dream doesn't know what to do. 

He lumbers closer, Sapnap notices and screams at him to stay away. He cries that he'll hurt Dream. "Just let me die," He chokes out. But his words are ignored. 

Dream is numb when the flames lick at his skin, he is numb when he reaches the heart of the flames, but he is warm when he wraps his arm around the boy. Sapnap cries into his shoulder and the flames slowly die out. It flickers, stays and extinguishes. 

Dream doesn't know how people think nor does he know how they work. But when it comes to Sapnap, he wants to try. He tries and lends a shoulder for him to lean on and cry. Dream tries to soothe him the best he could as he pours water over the burns at a nearby river, hiding his own from Sapnap. 

And if Dream only cares for his wounds himself when Sapnap is safe and asleep, no one will know. 

Except Sapnap does. 

* * *

_ The Earth is kind. It never complains, it never wants more than it has, it never wants more than it gets. The Earth is kind, and the Sun hates it.  _

_ The Sun is angry and shines brighter when the Earth fails to tell of its pain. The Sun burns with fury when the Earth suffers silently as its people neglect and abuses it, unaware of their destruction.  _

_ The Earth is kind but the Earth is dangerous when it's too much. _

* * *

They've been travelling for months by now. According to Dream, it's been at most two months. And after two months, one would think that Sapnap would finally understand at least a little about the world of adventures.

Wrong, think again. 

Sapnap has many several too many dumb mistakes that nearly cost him his life. He never looks where he goes, never keeps an eye or ear out for mob lingering mobs hidden under shades of trees when the sun's out, to name a few. 

And yet Dream has had to save his ass time and time again. And whilst Sapnap gets away unscathed, Dream does not. 

Dream gets hurt, and Sapnap hates himself for it. 

One would think that Dream would scold him or in the very least nag at him just a little. But no, Dream does not. Dream does not complain, he does not scold him, but he will try to hide it. 

He may think that Sapnap is a little air headed but he is not. 

The younger boy sees when Dream tries to pull his sleeves down to subtly hide a growing bruise. He notices when Dream winces in pain and he thinks Sapnap isn't looking. He hears when Dream gets up at night to clean and dress wounds, his muffled hisses and cries of pain and hurt reaches his ears. Every time he lays awake, the knowledge of him being the cause of Dream's suffering takes over his thoughts, and makes Sapnap clench his fist and bite his lip to stay silent. 

The reason why the raven never says anything to Dream about it, is because Sapnap knows that there's a reason, though unexplained, behind his actions. He knows that if the blond wanted him to know about it, he would tell him. 

Which is why it kills him when Dream won't lean on the shoulder he offers to him for solace. The older boy never says anything about what Sapnap has done wrong. He pretends as if the disaster had not occurred and continues hiding away his pain. 

But this time, there would be no Dream to save him. No Dream to protect him or stop him from making foolish decisions because. He. Didn't. Listen. 

Sapnap yells curses under his breath as he scrambles to pick himself up, a dark arm swiping at when he was seconds ago. 

"Don't explore caves alone without light," Dream had told him once. "Be careful and don't look into the eyes of an enderman," Dream had said. And what did Sapnap do? The complete. Opposite. 

Granted, it was not intentional when the boy had stumbled across the small entrance of a cave when he was hunting, the sound water flowing attracting him there. However, Sapnap, being the absolute moron that he is, decided that it would be a good idea to explore it by himself, instead of waiting to do it with Dream. 

And look where it had got him. Getting attacked by an enderman, and he being disarmed of his only weapon which was flung across the other side of the cave. 

He supposed that the exploration had gone relatively well; he managed to collect at least 20 iron ores, some coal along the way and by a stroke of luck, an enchanted golden apple and three diamonds from a minecart. 

But his luck ran out when the sound of a creeper hissing startled him. He jumped out of reflex, tripping over some broken rails before the creeper could explode on him. And in a moment of confusion, he looked up to see two glowing purple eyes meeting his own. 

Fuck. 

He snaps out from his thoughts as another hand nearly tears his arm off. Note to self,  _ don't zone out when about to die _ . He shrieks and dodges, ducking his head and seeking brief shelter behind some stones. His heart thunders in his chest, beads of sweat trailing down his temples and down the side of his head. Grey eyes darting around wildly, hoping to find some lucky escape. 

He yelps when the enderman teleports in front of him and attacks him again. And by some goddamn miracle, the boy manages to duck out of the way just in time. He peeks his eye open and the glint of light catches his eye.

Without thinking much, (because let's be honest, who has time to think when they're about to die? Certainly not Sapnap.) he dashes towards it and it's relieved to find that it's his iron sword! 

_ Thank the admins that it didn't despawn _ , Sapnap thinks as he wipes a nonexistent tear. The enderman teleports in front of him again but this time, the raven is ready. He drops down and slides under the legs of the enderman, he twists around, kicking hard against long, disproportionated legs and knocking it off balance. Startled, it teleports away again and Sapnap takes the chance to grab his sword. 

He holds it at the ready, standing up with his back against the wall of the cave. It's silent for a while, his heart pounding in his ears, the only sound that could be heard was the echoes of dripping water somewhere nearby. His body is suddenly too hot, the cave too silent, the sounds of his breathing ten times louder than before. His clothes uncomfortably clung to his back with sweat and he shivers, it's cold, yet it's hot, and he hates the feeling. The feeling of being trapped, the feeling of suddenly being small, the feeling of the walls suddenly closing in. 

There's the sound of the void opening, sizzling, popping and closing. It happens again, and echoes down the cave entrance. It's the sound of endermen teleporting, they step into the void, travel to the end and eventually pop back into the overworld by stepping into the void again. 

Endermen thrive off suspense. They love keeping their prey on guard, they keep them tense popping in and out of the void, corrupted hands just barely grazing their skin. The cycle continues on until their prey powers their guard down, either of exhaustion or complacency, it didn't really matter, they were dead the second they lowered their defense. 

Sapnap doesn't want to die. 

So the standstill continues. It goes on for seconds, minutes, hours. It goes on and Sapnap is tired, his mind threatens to wander but does not out of sheer physical will. 

He thinks he hears the sound of distant popping to his left and turns to look. And that where his mistake occurs. He realizes too late as he turns back around to block the enderman from killing him. He succeeds just a little. But his sword is knocked away again, its otherworldly strength of its gangly arms manage to sprain his wrist when it swipes away his sword. 

Sapnap brings his arms up to block, his forearms crossing over each other in front of his face in an 'X'. Sharp claws tear into his flesh, creating deep jagged cuts as blood gushes down like a waterfall, and it somehow manages to nick a little bit of his eyebrows. 

Blood splatters on his clothes and it drips and trails down to spill onto the ground. Sapnap couldn't help but let out a scream. It hurts, it burns and it  _ hurts.  _ He collapses onto the hard surface of stone, one arm clutching one of the deeper wounds. He cries, screams, thrashes in pain, tears flowing freely down his cheek because it  _ fucking hurts.  _

He chokes on a sob, he wonders why he isn't dead yet, he would rather die it hurts so bad please help  _ it hurts it hurts it hurts _ **_ithurts_ ** _.  _

His eyes are clouded, it's all a blur to him. All he makes out is a green figure dancing and weaving around a dark purple, almost black, figure. It's movements were graceful and smooth, if the figure wasn't dancing Sapnap wouldn't be able to tell the difference. 

What Sapnap can tell though, is that the Green figure is furious. It brutally slashes and hacks at the purple thing, splatters of glowing purple dirtying the ground before the green figure finally slams its weapon down into what Sapnap assumes is the head of the purple thing. His vision slips away for a minute or two. 

Later he vaguely feels something warm surrounding his body. It's soft, it's gentle as it handles his body. It's probably saying something, but it's too muffled for Sapnap to make out. It moves a little and fire shoots down his spine and he lets out a whimper, no energy left to cry. 

It massages his hair as comfort and something it nudged at his lips, urging the boy to take a bite. He complies, too tired to think properly, pain overriding his thoughts and senses. It budgets again, Sapnap swallows, and bites, swallows, bites and repeats. 

He finishes whatever was fed to him and the pain elevates somewhat. His mind is less hazy but his body is tired. He wants nothing more than to sleep, and so he does. 

—

He wakes up next to fire. 

It dances around, illuminating his surroundings, the sounds of sticks crackling and snapping providing a sense of comfort. He lays down in silence, relaxing for a while before remembering. 

Cave, mineshaft, cave, creeper, enderman, pain. 

Pretty green. Gross purple. Angry green. 

Sapnap jumps up, sitting up quickly and inspecting his arms. They're lightly bandaged, but they don't look as bad as it did previously. It looks almost healed and Sapnap slumps over when he realizes that his enchanted golden apple was used up in order for him to heal. Which reminds him… 

He snaps his head up and stares right into beady eyes of a mask. The raven stares at Dream, and he assumes that the other is doing the same. Sapnap does not fail to notice heavily bandaged arms and torn, blood soaked clothes. 

"You're awake," Dream states, relief laced in his voice. 

"I am."

"How're you feeling?"

"Better."

"That's good."

They sat in relative silence for a moment. It should be comfortable, but the tension in the air is thick enough to be cut with a knife. 

Sapnap waits, and waits, and waits. He waits for Dream to scold him, to reprimand him for being so careless, for getting hurt and not learning his lessons. Sapnap expects for it to come but it does not. It's quiet and Sapnap hates it. 

He's angry. Although he has no right to be. It's unreasonable, he knows it, but he can't help it. Red, hot anger boils and steams, it fills up the already full pot and overflows. The younger boy grits his teeth and grinds. He really doesn't want to say anything, he has no right to for messing everything up, but he can't help it when it over boils and spills over. 

He looks over at Dream. The older boy is calm, not at all looking angry at him and it enrages Sapnap. 

"Is everything okay, Pandas?" 

His temper flares. 

"No! No, eveythin's not okay!" The raven lashes out, it's sudden and impulsive but it's justified. 

Dream is silent as Sapnap continues. 

"It's not okay, that you're not angry!"

"Wha—?" Dream gapes, confused and at a loss for words. 

"No! I hate it, I hate it that you always put me first. You think I don't notice but I do! I see it when you try to pull yer sleeves down to hide it, I see the extra bandages that you have on yer body that eject morning, I see when yer hurtin', Dream." Sapnap stops and takes a breather, then he continues, clutching his clothes that rested over his heart. 

"I'm not blind, I'm not stupid! I wake up every night to see you in pain but you never tell me! When I mess up, you don't even scold me! Yer not even angry! You should be, because I never learn! And it hurts, it hurts that you don't care enough about yourself when I—!"

Dream hugs him. 

_ "I'm sorry," _ the blond whispers in his ear. Tears are welling up in Sapnap's eyes as he hugs back, burying his face into the other's shoulder. 

"Please, promise me you'll take care of yourself more,"

  
  


_ "I promise." _

Although promises are always meant to be broken, weren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is unclear, Dream and Sapnap are kids in this. They are 12-13 and 10-11 respectively.
> 
> Also thief Sapnap pogggg, he's also good at words :^)
> 
> They're soffttttttt children!!  
> Don't mind me simpin'
> 
> Feedback and Kudos are greatly appreciated!!!  
> If ya'll have theories i don't mind reading them :0000


	2. Prelude II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three times Sapnap sees Dream's face 
> 
> Or  
> Three times Sapnap is a simp for Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow!!!!  
> Thank you for 93 kudos poggg!!  
> From the first chapter only too!
> 
> I hope ya'll enjoy this one too!
> 
> TW/CW:  
> -graphic depictions of violence (mainly injuries, explosions and corpses)  
> -crying  
> -self-harm but only for a split second  
> -sad (maybe)

Days later they reach a small village. It's nothing grand, just a small pit stop in the middle of an oak forest. The villagers are kind enough to let the pair of young boys stay a couple of days without payment. 

Dream mostly spends the day talking with the village chief and talking with the farmers, trusting Sapnap to do whatever without getting in trouble. So with nothing to do, Sapnap decides to get a gift for the other boy. The raven still feels bad about the incident with the enderman a few days back, the trust given by the blond was undeserved. 

Naturally, Sapnap decides to get the gift with bribery. 

Miraculously, Dream didn't notice the 3 diamonds in his satchel when frantically rummaging through it for the God apple to save him.(Sapnap still feels sour about the incident.) With that knowledge in mind, he goes to the village blacksmith. 

As Sapnap enters the workplace, he admires the pre-made weapons and iron armour hanging on the walls. They're nothing short of spectacular. He looks to the man behind the anvil and observes. The blacksmith is a beefy man who towers over him, the man doesn't seem to take notice of the new presence in the shop. He either has some real intense laser-focus on the job, or didn't care that Sapnap was there. 

Sapnap sighs, the blacksmith is going to be a real pain in the ass. 'probably one of those types of people who think kids can't do anything.' he thinks to himself, rolling his eyes. Sapnap would bet an entire stack of nonexistent emeralds that the conversation will be like what Sapnap sometimes sees in simple, terribly cliche books that he steals from time to time. 

It'll probably start off with the man barely listening to what Sapnap has to say before vehemently saying 'no' to whatever he says, before ending off with him finally agreeing to teach him if 'he showed enough dedication'. Sapnap wouldn't even be surprised if he was right. 

—

Sapnap's theory proves to be true half an hour later when he finally finishes the exhausting conversation with the fucking moron. The exchange lasted longer than it should've taken and Sapnap really wishes he didn't have to deal with such bullshit when he just wants to be nice to his friend. 

He would rather deal with self centered idiots who only really wanted to hear was how great they were, and have praises sung of their names. It is quite honestly much better than dealing with dumb simpletons. 

Other than that issue, the rest of the time there is well spent. The blacksmith is surprisingly a good teacher, strict, but clear and straight to the point with his teachings. The diamonds presented to him were used to their full potential as they were smelted and forged into a great blade of an axe. It was heated, hammered, heated and hammered again till it became the correct shape. 

The newly made blade is cooled and sharpened, barely any imperfections made, and if the mistakes that Sapnap had made were spotted by the blacksmith, the man took over and fixed it. The end result is beautiful and the blade was finally attached to a handmade handle that Sapnap had made. Or, was taught to by the blacksmith. 

A black grip was crafted onto the handle of the diamond axe where Sapnap carved Dream's name onto it. When they were finally done, it was nearing nighttime. Realizing the time, he booked it out of the shop, shouting out an absentminded 'thank you!' before rushing to the bookkeeper. He barely reaches in time as the shop is about to close. 

He runs in and bribes and sweet talks the bookkeeper into helping him enchant the axe, using the emeralds he'd pickpocketed from a passing-by villager. They relent and take the axe from him, emerging from the enchant room 15 minutes later with the axe glowing with ancient runes and enchantments. 

He's delighted to find that it has Sharpness 3 and efficiency 4, the best that he could afford. He pays and leaves and finds that the moon is already out. He makes his way towards the inn they stayed at and observes the iron golems patrolling the perimeter, killing whatever mobs they come across. 

He walks and walks and walks, until the inn finally comes into view and sees Dream standing outside oddly enough. The moon casts a soft glow around Dream's figure and Sapnap has to stop to look at him.

His hood is down allowing pale blue light to bounce off soft blond curls, it highlights the small dust particles dancing around the boy's head. The moonlight and shadows cast illuminate his silhouette in a otherworldly way. It circles around, forming an angel's halo that makes Sapnap look on in awe. 

Dream's wardrobe has increased a little from what he can see. Tight black long-sleeved turtle neck hugs his body just right, the once baggy hoodie replaced with a cropped one with its sleeves pushed to his elbows. Black fingerless gloves fitted onto slender hands, new leather utility belt with multiple pouches clipped around his hip, another leather holster bag strapped to his thigh and new black boots. 

It's times like this when Sapnap wishes he could see his companion's face, wondering what expressions he makes for every emotion he had. He wants to know how he looks like when he laughs that contagious wheezy laughter of his, whether his cheeks flush a beautiful pink, whether his eyes scrunch up closed because of wide smiles and warm emotions. He wants to know what face the blond makes when he contemplates the next path they should take, do his eyes narrow in concentration? Or does he close his eyes to visualize the next step to take?

Sapnap wants to know the other boy better. Sometimes he imagines what the other boy looks like, maybe he has constellations scattered all over his cheeks and nose like it does his neck and shoulders down. Imagines green eyes like sparkling emeralds, which hold the entire galaxy, framed by long lashes and perfect cheeks. 

But as Sapnap continues to look at him, he notices the quiet solitude in the way he leans against the wall behind him. The way his shoulders slump in exhaustion, the way his pale fingers tap against his thigh in agitation, the way his chest rises and falls in large intervals—as if he was trying his best to stay calm and nearly failing to do so. 

Sapnap sees the small things that Dream does when he's anxious and it makes Sapnap worried because Dream is rarely anxious. The other often staying calm despite having so many close brushes with death, it makes Sapnap nearly have a heart attack. So what could have made Dream so anxious?

Before he could ponder about it for longer, Dream turns his head in Sapnap's direction and Sapnap can pinpoint the exact moment the other boy freezes. They have another stare down and Sapnap thinks that they really should stop doing it, it happens so often that they might as well make it a ritual for good luck everyday. That, or Sapnap and Dream could start bringing in money through staring contests if there were any. 

He snaps back to attention when he thinks he hears a sniffle come from Dream. The raven blinks, the sound not registering in his head because did Dream just cry? 

Sapnap parts his lips, ready to voice out his thoughts when Dream suddenly breaks out into a run. He just barely manages to stay standing as the other boy tackles him, arms and legs wrapped around his torso and his hands go to grip Dreams thighs out of reflex. 

Dream lets out a shaky sob and small hiccups, he sounds like he's trying to hold in his tears but just can't. His head buries into Sapnap's neck, the mask making it a little uncomfortable but he doesn't complain about it. Sapnap stays silent, only hitching Dream a little higher so he can support him using one of his arms while the other rubs soothing circles into his back. 

Dream coughs, hiccups and cries softly into his neck and Sapnap just quietly rubs his back, murmuring sweet nothings into the other's ear and shushing him gently. Sapnap ignores the fact his hand is getting sore, only focusing on the current fragile state of his friend. 

Eventually Dreams calms enough that he's barely moving in Sapnap's arms, the only indication that he hasn't fallen asleep was his occasional hiccuping.

He takes this chance to start shuffling them to the room they stayed in the inn. There was barely anyone in the small cafeteria in the inn as they walked through it. And if there was anyone staring at them, Sapnap made sure to glare straight at them, making them quickly whip their head back to focus on their food. 

They make the rest of the way to the room in silence. Small thumps on the wooden floor being the only interruption in the quiet atmosphere. Dream is surprisingly light for someone of his height and size, although being two years older than Sapnap, he is just about the same height and him. 

(And if Sapnap feels just a tad bit proud to be able to carry Dream for such a long time, no one would know.)

The younger boy gently nudges the door open when they reach their room. He enters and closes the door behind him, walking toward their shared bed and sits down. It's been so quiet for so long that Sapnap wonders if the other boy fell asleep. He wouldn't mind that was the case, he'll just be glad that the blond trusts him enough to fall asleep in his arms without being in a secluded place. 

Admins, he loves his friend so much. 

"... I thought something bad had happened to you," a small voice croaks and grey eyes dart down to the boy in his lap. 

"What?" Needless to say, Sapnap is confused by the statement. He doesn't remember doing anything particularly dangerous that would lead to that thought process. He'd only been out at the Blacksmith's place for the whole day without telling Dream and— oh. Shit. 

"Y-you were missing for the whole day and no one had seen you, Sapnap. I thought-I thought... " Dream raises his head to look at him, stuttering, the last part of his sentence being left unsaid. 

"Sapnap, I don't know what I'd do without you."

As soon as the words registered in his head, Sapnap felt all his thoughts screech to a halt. His heart stutters and flutters in his chest, something about those words makes him giddy with another emotion that he can't put a name to.  _ It's happiness _ , he thinks as he looks at the other boy, feeling his eyes soften and a fond smile start to grow on his face. Then he remembers that he worried his friend for nothing and feels guilt sting and poke at his heart. 

The smile disappears and Sapnap's head ducks down in shame. A small frown creases his forehead, the corner of his lips drawn downwards, pursed tightly. 

“'m sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," Sapnap mumbles, one hand reaching to rub at the back of his neck. "I was at the blacksmith's, gettin’ a gift for you, actually."

"A gift?"

"Yeah." Sapnap reaches into his inventory to pull out the diamond axe, presenting it to Dream. Said boy was stunned into silence, hands reaching to grip the handle of the well crafted axe. 

"It's beautiful," Dream says breathlessly, hands carefully turning the weapon and tool around in his hands to inspect the handiwork. "Where—?"

"The diamonds were from a minecart chest I found a few days back, I remember you always talkin’ about how useful axes were since they could double as a powerful weapon and a useful tool. So since I had enough diamonds for it, I kind of had the blacksmith teach me how to make it?"

Sapnap explains, nervous about what Dream would say. The silence somehow seemed louder than it should be, anxiety slowly creeping in from Sapnap's fingers to his shoulder and to his quickly pounding heart. His hand fidget with nothing to do, and Sapnap barely resists from tapping his feet against the floor and jostling Dream from his place in his lap. 

Suddenly the eyes that Sapnap stares into aren't the black beady eyes of Dream's mask. Instead, they're beautiful forest green orbs that look so much more entrancing than he imagined. Eyes that hold stars and resemble the northern aurora lights meet his own simple grey ones. Freckles stipple and pepper his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, trailing down to his ears then his neck. 

Perfect pink lips are spread into a wide, warm smile across his face, raised cheeks dusted pink, and eyes shimmering in fondness and another emotion Sapnap fails to identify. Dream's hair frames his face perfectly, blond locks shining like expensive golden silk under the light from the window behind him. They cascade down like a waterfall across Dream's face as it's tilted slightly to the side. 

He continues memorizing the fine details of Dream's face, like the dimples at the corner of his smile, the long lashes that emphasize pretty emerald eyes, the scar that starts from just under his right eye, continuing across the bridge of his nose and ending on his other cheek. Dream is beautiful even with all the perfect imperfections on his face, small or pronounced scars not making him look any less gorgeous. 

Soon, he finds out that Dream's lips are as soft as they look when they press against his cheek. 

Wait— 

Heat crawls up his face, he freezes, unsure of what to do or what to say. Skin under pretty pink lips continues to tingle even as they leave from the reddened skin. Part of him wants to bury his face in his hands as his face overheats and another part of him wants to reciprocate the action. However, Sapnap decides to settle for none of the above and is reduced to pathetic sputtering, the English language failing him for the very first time. 

But Dream, on the other hand, seems to be doing just fine. He thanks Sapnap for the thoughtful gift with another beaming smile, and it makes Sapnap think that he's going to need glasses with how bright the other boy's smiles are. 

And when Sapnap fails to get some proper rest because of dazzling smiles and pretty verdant eyes, he finds that he doesn't mind it whatsoever. This being the first time he's seen the beauty behind the mask. 

* * *

The second time the mask is off, Sapnap is the one who takes it off, and there's less crying and more relaxing. And maybe a little bit of training. 

Maybe more than just a little bit. 

But Sapnap doesn't mind the exercise, he finds it fun, he finds it energizing and he finds nothing wrong in being more prepared for unexpected situations. 

Currently, he and Dream are sparring, practicing hand to hand combat, something that Sapnap takes pride in being just a little better than Dream in. Best of three. The two had just taken a break after a few rounds of sparring with wooden swords. Something that Dream overwhelms him in.

They're currently tied at one win each, the last match being the deciding factor of who wins. There's no prize for winning, no forfeit for losing, but the two boys find enjoyment out of making things a competition, albeit to feed their growing ego. 

While Sapnap takes a wider stance, going for stronger, heavier hits and tanking attacks, Dream adopts a closer and loose stance, suitable for quick footwork and dodging attacks with agility. 

Sparring, to them, was like dancing, they're always moving, never stopping, never breaking the rhythm. Sapnap starts off first, legs pushing off as he delivers a right hook to Dream, the blond blocks and dodges. Then a leg comes to swiftly kick the back of his knees in an attempt to knock Sapnap off balance. But he jumps over it, twisting around and landing and elbow on the side of Dreams face. He stumbles, but recovers quickly, coming back for more. 

It goes on like that for a while, a missed left hook to the face, an attempt to kick at a pair of shins, and nimble feet taking light and well placed steps to dodge and weave through blows. Finally Sapnap manages to pin Dream down with a small tackle, a terrible idea for what Dream had done to him previously, but it worked nonetheless.

They wrestle for a little before the raven snags thins wrists and pins them against the ground. The tempo from before pauses, it quiet, apart from heavy breathing and thundering hearts as Dream relents and admits defeat. Sapnap stays atop of him for a while longer, catching his breath, before realizing what a sight they must've been if anyone has been looking and flips himself off of Dream, slumping onto the rather cooling dirt.

It's hot and uncomfortable. Sapnap finds himself quickly peeling off his t-shirt, drenched in sweat, before he dies by overheating. A terrible way to go. Especially when he still wants to admire— nope. 

He turns his head to look at Dream, who looks no worse for wear. The cropped hoodie and long sleeved sweater had been shed off in favour of a loose lime green tank top, which was also drenched in sweat. Not as bad as Sapnap though. Which reminds him of his bandana which had been used to push up his very much wet hair away from his face, but now it was simply annoying. 

He tugs it off as well and haphazardly throws it to the side.  _ They should shower _ , the boy thinks but he really doesn't want to move, honestly just let him melt away into the grass. He hates it when it's too hot. 

_ ("Aren't you a blaze-hybrid?" Dream had asked once.  _

_ "Yeah, and?" _

_ "Don't you guys like heat?" _

_ "Not when I feel like a Popsicle in a furnace!") _

Eventually, they do shower(in the nearby river), new clothes are worn and sore limbs are rested. By the time they've finished, the sun is setting. They sit over the edge of grassy hills and blooming flowers surrounding them. The sun paints the sky in vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. The orange gold stretches far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines. 

_ (Dream thinks it's like fire, like Sapnap, loud yet quiet, bright yet soft and comforting.) _

Dream looks off towards the horizon, mask pushed up just enough for half of his face to glow with the orange rays as twilight beckons the stars. His lips bear the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that he is enjoying his thoughts, whatever they may be. Perhaps Dream merely enjoys the feel of warm comforting golden rays of light on his skin, or the pretty gradient that the sun dyes the sky with. Sapnap decides to move closer so that Dream may find solace in his presence, allowing him to stay lost in the moment just a little while longer.

It's calm and peaceful for a while, Sapnap nearly dozing off when Dream abruptly sits up straight, startling Sapnap to the land of the wake, alarms flashing in his head. And he lets out a manly shout, not at all a girly shriek that sends Dream into a fit of laughter. 

"Shut up, Dream," Sapnap pouts, smacking his arm lightly. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know—" Sapnap waves his arm wildly, "—when you suddenly straightened up, you scared me, what the hell man?"

"Ohhh, that!" Dream taps a fist into his palm, "I wanna try something!"

Sapnap is suspicious. 

"Try what?"

"Let me tie your hair!"

"What?! No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Pleeeease?" Dream clasps his hands in front of him, and Sapnap is pretty sure Dream would be giving him puppy-dog eyes if he weren't wearing a mask. The younger boy manages to hold out of a few seconds longer before he sighs, Dream already cheering at his surrender. 

Dream pulls out two black rubber bands from his inventory and pulls them onto his wrist, then proceeds to go behind Sapnap. He feels two tender hands card through his hair which follows up with deft fingers parting his hair, taking one bunch and fiddling with it. After a few small tugs of his hair, Dream moves onto the second, repeating the steps from before. 

The process of tying Sapnap's hair isn't long, it's not extremely simple either, yet the span of silence between them settles was calming. Sapnap finds the methodical way that Dream ties his hair soothing in a way that it's constant. It's steps simple and constant, no drastic change in the way Dream bunches his hair or the way he pulls slightly at his hair. 

It's all over too soon when Dream finishes with a final tug and clambers over to Sapnap's front, admiring his work in the setting golden rays of the sun. He reaches up to pat and prod at what Dream had done, but Dream stops him before he could bring any destruction unto the hairstyle he'd just tied. Dream stops him from touching it but Sapnap thinks he knows what it is. 

"Did- did you tie two buns on my head?" he asks incredulously, but not upset. 

"Yes...?"

He blinks. 

"Why?"

"Well, it's because you like pandas, don't you? So I thought you'd look cute with them on top of your head like little panda ears."

"Oh." Sapnap likes the idea. He likes pandas and he likes Dream. The boy in front of him had peach lips slightly parted, probably looking at him as if he was the most mesmerizing thing in the world. Though he feels that that would be incorrect.

He was not the most mesmerizing thing in the world, because if he were, what was Dream? Even if Sapnap couldn't see all of his face, the blond still looks ethereal and there's no doubt that Sapnap wouldn't mind staring at his pretty face for forever. 

Sapnap isn't thinking, because when does he ever? He doesn't think when his hand slowly reaches out towards Dream's face, his hand reaches around, using a finger to unclasp the mask, causing it to fall onto cushioning grass. And Dream lets it. 

He finds himself dazedly staring into Dream's eyes. His eyes are sparkling every with every hue of green that is pretty, his skin honey-kissed, and the sun is pale gold like gossamer silk. It's times like this Sapnap feels like the English language is just not enough, the thousand upon thousand of words are not enough to adequately speak of Dream's enchanting beauty. But the raven doesn't really mind. He doesn't really mind at all. 

Sapnap is content and finds himself distantly hoping that things like this never comes to an end. 

* * *

The third time he sees Dream's face, it's the last time he ever does. 

And he hates himself. 

Why'd it have to be Dream? Why not him? Why the fuck, couldn't it have been him? Why, why  _ why why _ **_wh_ ** **y** ?

He clutches at black hair, yanking it but careful not to affect neatly tied buns, Dream had tied them the previous afternoon—they'd made a routine to do it whenever they had time to relax. It's a reminder of what he had lost, the only family he had is gone, burns and stings at his heart. 

His eyes water and he tries to hold it in. But it keeps coming, it fills up the fragile cup that his heart. It fills till it's full and the next few drops sends it cracking, and the subsequent few makes it shatter. The dam breaks, and the tears start flowing out. It spills out and there's nothing Sapnap can do to stop it. 

He lets out a gut-wrenching sob, but there's no one to hear, no one to care. Hot tears run down his face as another broken sob is pulled out from his throat, but he's not here. There's no gentle hands to cup his cheeks so tenderly and full of love that it makes his heart stutter and slow the streams of tears into small leaks. There's no warm chest for him to bury his face in and cry with absolute disregard for who's around him because Dream's there. 

He slams his head against the tree he sits back against and screams. He screams, coughs and cries out. He wants the outcome to change so desperately, he wishes he wasn't as useless as he is, he wishes he were strong enough to have helped Dream. Sapnap brings a hand to clutch at the clothes resting over his heart, he grips it hard if only to stop shakes and trembling of his body. He holds it like his life line if only to stop the sobs and cries wrecking his body. 

Maybe it's been an hour, maybe it's been half, maybe it's been more than an hour. His head hurts and his calf burns. But he doesn't care. Anguished cries turn to soft hiccups, though a steady flow of tears still trails down his cheeks like a slow flowing tap. 

He ignores the steady stream of tears and slumps back against the tree trunk behind him, wishing that this was just a nightmare. 

—

_ "Sapnap run!" _

_ "I know!" The grip around his hand is tight, but he doesn't care, it's not important. Dream pulls him a little forward, the faster boy leading in front, Sapnap following close behind.  _

_ Admittedly running into strange men who were currently chasing after them was not on their agenda. Why couldn't they have been mobs, the good ol' zombies and skeletons, when he went to investigate? Why'd it have to be people? _

_ Mobs are easier to fight and beat, people, not so much. Add onto the fact that they were -children- teenagers, neither of them could really overpower and outsmart a group of fully grown adult men. So they ran.  _

_ Dream spots a creeper further up and signals to Sapnap, he sees it and nods, pulling out his flint and steel. As they speed closer, the creeper also notices them and scuttles towards them. Nimble fingers grips and strikes steel against flint with one hand, lighting the creeper. Dream counts to two before kicking it towards the shady men behind them. It flies, lands and explodes. The people behind them shout in alarm, some scattering, some pushing forward, not stopping and a few failing to move out of the way in time. There's pained shouts and strangled cries and Sapnap glances back to see that some of them had blown up, some dead, then he continues running.  _

_ He doesn't find himself affected by the gruesome sight— mangled bodies, red flesh barely hanging onto broken bones and blood violently splattered onto the surrounding trees and ground.  _

_ It's nothing unusual, nothing new— torsos missing head, heads missing torsos, twisted bones from landing too harshly against hard ground, burnt corpses and cut-off screams.  _

_ He's seen it all before. He's sure Dream has too, the blond doesn't even flinch at the sight. But they laugh. They laugh at the destruction, finding delight in succeeding, getting a high off the chase and getting away.  _

_ One minute they're laughing, smiling, whooping in joy, but the next Sapnap is shouting, Dream is coughing and they've stopped running. Someone from the remaining group of people chasing after them throws something at them, and it lands on Dream. It's a glass bottle, containing what, Sapnap isn't sure. All that he's sure of is that it's bad and it's slowing and hurting Dream.  _

_ There's dark purple particles coming off from Dream and Sapnap doesn't like that. He doesn't know what it is but it made Dream look as if he hasn't slept in years. Dream collapses and Sapnap yells in fear, he quickly hauls Dream onto his back and runs.  _

_ But unfortunately, Sapnap was never made for speed and having Dream on his back only served to slow him down further.  _

_ "Sapnap, c'mon put me down," Dream muttered, weakly pushing against his back.  _

_ "What?! No! We don't know what they did to you!" Sapnap protests, but his words are ignored and Dream pushes against him harder.  _

_ "Trust me." And the phrase makes Sapnap pause in his movements. It's a terrible idea, they both know it, but Dream's mask had pushed up enough for Sapnap to see chartreuse orbs, flared with determination and something else Sapnap isn't sure of, fixed on his own. So Sapnap relents, letting Dream down and the other boy smiles at him. It's bittersweet and makes something dark settle in Sapnap's guts, twisting and warning him against the idea, but he squashes it down.  _

(How he wishes he hadn't.)

_ They're surrounded soon enough, dark smiles and disgusting sneers make Sapnap want to puke and kill them. So he does. The men clearly don't expect Sapnap and Dream to fight back, why should they when all they've really done was run and get splashed by some weird liquid.  _

_ In their surprise, Dream and Sapnap are able to kill three of them before they could move properly. They're clearly furious with what they've done, the leader of them angrily barking out orders like, 'kill them!' and 'what the fuck are you doing?!'. The remaining seven split up into groups of four and three, the three going to subdue Dream and the rest attacking Sapnap.  _

_ Anger makes them rash, it makes them swing carelessly with fury and a complete disregard to cover up openings when they strike. Dream knows that and takes advantage. While they swing and stumble around and waste energy, he dodges and moves gracefully despite being tired as all hell from whatever that was.  _

_ Soon they're tired and Dream takes his chance to hack away at flesh and sink the blade of his diamond axe into the neck of an unfortunate man. There's another shout, then one of the two men Sapnap had yet to kill sneaks behind him and throws another bottle of strange dark liquid.  _

_ And by the time Sapnap notices it's too late. It hits Dream square on the back and shatters, his clothes soaking up the liquid. A second passes and Dream falls onto the ground, the men cheer and Sapnap shouts. _

_ "You fuckin' assholes!" His guard is down, a rookie mistake and he gets punched as a punishment.  _

_ "Kids like you shouldn't be running their mouths," asshole number one smirks, tauntingly patting his cheek. Sapnap bites his hand. He's punched again.  _

_ "Ow! You fucking— take the other one and put him in the ring, kid has knack for fighting," asshole number one growls, slamming a foot onto his back.  _

_ "What about the other one?" asshole number two asks.  _

_ "I'll deal with it, go," asshole number two nods and carries Dream over his shoulder. Dream isn't moving. Dream's getting taken away. Why the fuck wasn't he doing anything? Angry boils within him. It spreads like wildfire in his veins as it every inch of his body and its not stopping. It ignites something inside of him that burns, it makes his heart rattle against his ribcage and his body heat up. _

_ He puffs out hot breaths of air and ignores the confused yell above. He ignores the heavy boot stamping onto his lower back, his vision tunneling, and he feels as if he were looking through red lenses. Something sizzles and burns and there's smoke in the air that he later realizes that it was him.  _

_ "Let him go!" Sapnap yells, pushing himself up and slamming his hand onto the leg stepping on him. The cloth under his hands catches fire and singes the skin underneath. The guy roars in pain shooting the back of his leg with a crossbow that Sapnap never noticed. The arrow pierces through skin and calf muscles and comes out from the other side, blood slowly trickling down from the wound when Sapnap spasms, his leg jerking involuntarily and hitting the ground with it. _

_ He yelps and grits his teeth, pulling out an iron axe from his inventory and slams it into the guy's leg, chopping it off. While Asshole number one falls on to his ass, Sapnap carefully stands up, trying not to agitate his injured leg. He changes his hold on the axe and proceeds to slam it down into Asshole number one's soon-to-be corpse. He brings it down and hacks and cuts, ignoring howls of agony.  _

_ There's one last man behind him who tries to pounce on him unnoticed but fails. Sapnap spins on his heel and aims and throws. His is true when it lands square in the center of his chest. It's not strong enough to kill but it doesn't matter. He snaps his fingers, fire spreads from where the blade of the axe was and engulfs the stupid man, burning him alive.  _

_ By the time he's done, the smell of burnt flesh fills the air and blood soaks him from head to toe. He's killed them.  _

_ And he stands alone. Again.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain lowkey died when i was typing out the cw's, i literally typed out 'violent depictions of violence' and i was like '??????', i had to check the tags lmaoooo
> 
> Kudos and feedback are much appreciated!
> 
> I promise George is coming soon, in the next chapter! >.>
> 
> Also can anyone guess what the glass bottle was???? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	3. Leggero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George hates mornings, Sapnap steals, George is very done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO soRRY.   
> I MEANT TO UpDATE EARLIER BUT I KEPT DELETING THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER AND STARTED OVEr.  
> I was proof-reading it and I thought the original version(s) of this chapter was worse than the previous 2 chapters. So I restarted and I didn't mean to take this longgggg.   
> And my ADHD kept giving me too many ideas. :')
> 
> ahhhh I hope you guys enjoy it :'), it's not the best. I literally speedran this entire thing.
> 
> CW:  
> \- some mild language perhaps  
> \- graphic descriptions of infected injuries   
> \- this is quite gay  
> \- theft?   
> \- george is gumpy  
> \- this is a bit sadge  
> \- author is dyin' lmao

_ When the Sun meets the Moon, it's an interesting exchange. They're such a contrast to each other; the Sun is loud and warm and the Moon is quiet and cold.  _

_ They are different, many would assume that they want nothing to do with each other, but they're wrong. They are so unlike each other that it's surprising that they've caught the attention of one another. _

* * *

George hates mornings. It's not as glorious as the books make it sound. There's no sweet melody of birds chirping, there's no gentle realization that you're awake as you slowly rise up from the bed, and there's certainly no soft 'glow' that the sunlight graces your room with. Mornings for George are absolute trash. 

His alarm clock's incessant and shrill rings pierce the quiet in his room and kills it instantly. It's obnoxious and startles him to the land of the wake. The moment he tries to go back to sleep, after slamming the alarm off, the sun decides to grace him with its presence and shine just right so that the small sliver of light that peaks through a small parting between curtains somehow manages to rest just over his eyes. When he tries to turn the other way, somehow and for some reason, it manages to still shine over his eyes. And the light is not forgiving either, it's like getting a torchlight pointed directly in your eyes. Just,  _ how. _

And when he finally decides to get up since all hope of extra sleep is lost, the sun disappears. "Why do you hate me so?" George grumbles under his breath and peels himself off his very much comfortable bed. Another reason he hates mornings is the fact that when he gets up and about, ready to start his morning routine, his body immediately feels like a bag of bricks. He's 17 and his body is that of an 80 year old, it cracks when he stands up and it cracks again when he stretches. He feels his eye twitch, there's also the problem of him feeling more tired than he was the previous night. 

So in conclusion, George Notfound absolutely hates mornings with a burning passion. 

He hates it but gets up anyway, there's no point in trying to go back to sleep— something will definitely just annoy him out of bed again. He raises his arms and stretches, popping stiff bones and warming up tired limbs. It's an uphill battle as he stumbles into the bathroom to brush his teeth and shower, nearly tripping over carelessly strewn clothes and papers. 

George then dries up, throwing on his favourite blue shirt, the one with the words "Error 404" printed in the centre of a white and red rectangle box, and dark blue jeans. He clips on his standard brown leather utility belt and slips on black fingerless gloves as well as his signature white goggles which rest comfortably on the top of his head. 

He clips on a thigh knife sheath for good measure and skips to the kitchen for breakfast. His breakfast is nothing fancy, him being way too lazy to actually cook, just having an egg and toasted bread. He checks the time on his communicator and groans, pushing against the kitchen counter, it's too early to be awake. 

The boy wants to go to sleep. He wants to bury himself under soft sheets and fluffy pillows, but alas, the world hates him. And he has a job to do. 

Shoving the rest of his toast into his mouth, he trudges out of the house to do his job. (And if he runs back into the small house to retrieve his bag, no one is there to laugh at him)

—

The fact that he's fucking poor slaps him across his face when he reaches the closest village from where he originally was. There's a voice that tells him that it's not a village but a town (and it sounds suspiciously like Dream's) but he shakes it off and limps on. 

It's a humble place. Crowded too. The people around him shuffle their way through and there's the constant sound of chattering around him. Be it a travelling musician strumming songs on their guitar, store owners encouraging customers to buy items from their stalls, or maybe just friends conversing and laughing loudly at something funny. It was never quiet. 

Had Sapnap been living here his entire life, he probably wouldn't have minded it. Most of the people here seemed open and unaware of what could've gone wrong, the phrase "a hard life" has probably never reached their ears. _ (There's an unpleasant feeling bubbling at the pit of his stomach. Distantly, he realizes that it's bitter envy and it leaves a rotten taste in his mouth.) _ The market gave off a homey vibe, perhaps something similar to a close knit neighborhood.  _ (Sapnap wouldn't know, he's never lived in one before.) _

_ (Sometimes he catches himself wishing that he lived another life, maybe that of a regular commoner's child. One that was loved by his parents and not tossed aside at the first possible chance. But it's a thought that never really lingers, because he would've never met Dream had he actually been a normal kid.) _

**_(And a darker part of him whispers and sneers that Dream was probably is better off never meeting him ever, even as a commoner's child. Since it is_ ** **_HIS_ ** _**fault that his best friend is stuck suffering.)** _

There are signs hammered on food stalls and other types of shops that Sapnap can barely read. He can barely read but he understands enough to know that he can't afford any of it even if he needed it. He needs it to heal, needs it to survive. So he decides to do what he's best at and observes. 

The people are avoiding him. 

It's a fair action to Sapnap. His clothes are torn and dirty and burnt, there's an open and bleeding gash right above his forehead. It makes him look like he's homeless, a problem child, like mixing with him would be trouble.  _ (And a large part of Sapnap can't help but agree more.)  _ No sensible person would like to have a dance with trouble. 

He sighs, knowing that it's going to be harder to steal when he stuck out like a sore thumb. "So let's create a  _ bigger _ distraction," he whispers, the tips of his fingers faintly glowing bright orange. The small glow of his fingers won't be noticeable unless someone actively looks for it. Which Sapnap doubts anyone would be looking closely at him anyway; they're too busy either going about their day or pretending that he doesn't exist by staring pointedly at something far away from him, in the complete opposite direction. 

There's a stand selling clothes and fabrics, it's doing decently well, perfect for what he's about to do. Though, somewhere at the back of his mind, he feels a little bad, but that's a thought he's unwilling to entertain. 

The boy casually slinks over, pretending to just be like another nosy common kid, with the exception of his dirty clothes and such. And Sapnap walks as close as he could without looking like trouble and trails his finger along a piece of hanging fabric, setting it aflame. 

It initially causes lapis blue fabric to discolor, turning the place where Sapnap's fingers touched to ash black before it catches a small fire. It's small but it grows as it eats away at the material. Orange and yellow flames spread, causing other flammable materials to catch fire and the smell of smoke quickly becomes impossible to go unnoticed. 

There's a scream followed by another shriek, but by then Sapnap was two stalls away from the disruption. People are panicking, some are trying to help, some are running away and some are watching. He spots a man, who appears relatively well off, just in front of him. He's standing and staring at the flames with disgust, as if the only thing that is bad about it was that it inconvenienced him. Sapnap hates people like him.

He breaks out into a run, but careful to stay just out of his way so that he isn't in the man's line of path. As he continues moving forward, Sapnap doesn't look at the man, he doesn't allow his line of sight to fall in the man's direction either. He forms an expression of fear on his face, feigning paranoia as he glances behind himself, as if he were afraid of getting caught by the fire. Pretending to an innocent bystander so as to not stick out too much. 

The raven quickly passes by the man, wincing at the untreated wound in his leg. His right leg nearly buckles beneath him and he can practically hear Dream chiding him for aggravating his arrow wound. At least he remembered to leave the arrow in and cut out the part of the arrow that was sticking out. Sapnap can only hope that it isn't infected. 

He knows he's going to be alright though, he has enough money to buy healing pots and a few medical supplies now.  _ At least, I think so, _ Sapnap muses to himself, counting the number of emeralds and golds in the heavy pouch he'd stolen from the man. He ties it closed and tosses it a couple times in the air before quickly pocketing it in his inventory. He slows his run to a stop, puffing slightly and is then reminded that he needs to buy some food too. He groans, realizing that he might need some more emeralds for food. 

He supposes he could catch some game, but in his injured state he really doubts so. And he really doesn't want to cause more damage to his calf. Sapnap surveys his surroundings again and there's another person that seems oblivious to the world around him. 

How convenient. 

The boy he spots looks young, but is definitely older than Sapnap. He has brown chestnut hair, a pair of goggles resting atop his head, a blue shirt and jeans as well as brown combat boots. And he is also more well off than Sapnap is, that's for sure. He eyes a small brown pouch attached to his waist, and Sapnap can practically hear the jingling of emeralds and gold jostled around in it. 

_ Damn, Sapnap almost feels bad about how easy it is going to be. _

—

Or not.

_ It turns out that the oblivious boy was not so oblivious after all. _ Sapnap thinks as he stares dumbly at stern mismatched eyes, and there's a surprisingly firm grip around his own tanned hand. 

"What do you think you're doing?" He questions and is just shy of a growl. His words drip with some sort of a promise: a threat, and it's edge hard and sharp. It's  _ piercing _ . His voice is low, not as low as Sapnap's but it's low. It reaches his ears smooth like velvet and his foreign accent doesn't make it sound any less dangerous. It sends shivers down Sapnap's spine. 

Sapnap's eyes are wide in shock and a feeling of intrigue pokes at him a little. It is rare that Sapnap gets caught stealing, let alone being wrong about someone's demeanor. Except for when it's Dream. Dream is an enigma and Sapnap can't find it in himself to care. It's one of the things he  _ ~~loves~~ _ likes about him after all.

This new stranger is a mystery. Something about him makes Sapnap want to know him better, and want to find out just how he'd tricked him. 

And he wants to know what makes him different. 

The boy in front of him looks expectant, maybe for an answer to his question from him. And that makes Sapnap curious. If anything, Sapnap thought the brunet would have started shouting or scolding him if he had gotten caught red-handed. Or maybe get him arrested somehow. 

But the boy doesn't do that, his grip only tightens around Sapnap's wrist, trying to look more threatening. Though it barely works, Sapnap gives him an A for effort. 

Sapnap is curious, the boy in front of him is fascinating, he's an unknown that Sapnap must get to know. So when he opens his mouth to answer, he tells the truth. Because lying won't get him anywhere near to his goal, and he doesn't like lying anyway. Lying is… troublesome. 

"Well, I'm stealing from you."

—

What Admin or Moderator did George anger to deserve this. There's a boy following (Read: bothering) him. The kid is loud, annoying, noisy, dirty and loud. Everything that George hates. Everything that George is the complete opposite of. 

_ (Though, there's a part of George that feels bad for him. Because what hell did the noisy boy crawl out from? Cuts and bruises litter his body from what George can see, his forehead his bleed yet the boy barely takes notice of it. He only wipes it away, smearing it more on his head and frowning at the blood on his hand. Then he wipes it on his clothes and continues blabbing away. What has he been through to be able to ignore it, George is sure that his body aches with pain.) _

The boy asks him several questions, most of which are oddly specific and some just outright rude. George thinks back to a particular question that had been asked: 'Why aren't you as dumb as you look?'. 

The  _ nerve _ of the child. 

George barely held back the urge to punch him. 

Granted, the boy doesn't look that much younger than George. So he shouldn't really be calling him a kid in his head, but how is he to stop himself from doing so when he acts like one? George mentally whines and slumps over as he walks. 

"Hey, what's your name?" 

"What?" George perks up, and blinks. It's the first normal question that was asked. 

"Your name. Or do you not have one? Did you forget it?" The brat smirks, his pretty grey eyes mocking. Wait what—

"I- I have a name! It's George, you just caught me off guard, I'm just surprised that you have the brain cell to ask a normal question," George snarks, smiling smugly when the boy gets visibly irritated. 

"S-shut up," the boy pouts. "I'm Sapnap."

"That's a weird name."

"And you have weird eyes."

Ouch, that stung. George goes quiet and looks down. His eyes are a sore spot for him, it's dumb and a small thing to be hung up on, but he can't help it. He knows that his eyes are very much broken and he's been reminded of it enough times already. 

_ (If his mother shouting and screaming at him to  _ **_"get the fuck out of my sight!"_ ** _ wasn't evident enough, then George didn't know what was. Sometimes,—when his brain is being particularly stupid and strange,—he still can feel the phantom feeling of that painful sting on his cheek that followed after the loud sound of a clap.) _

"I'm sorry," the boy—Sapnap suddenly says softly. 

"Huh?" Blue and brown eyes dart up, fixing on gunmetal eyes staring earnestly up at him. 

"I didn' mean to touch a sore spot for you. Your eyes are weird, yes, but they're pretty cool too y'know?"

"You don't need to lie," he laughs humorlessly and looks away, but not without seeing the frown on Sapnap's face. 

"I'm not lyin', they're really pretty."

George glances back, there's no lie or hint of disgust in pearlescent silver orbs as it stares back into his own ~~broken~~ eyes. The gaze never wavers, it never darts down or away in fear, it only looks straight into his eyes with absolute. Sapnap doesn't falter in his words, he doesn't hesitate and he continues to walk next to him, his words said with absolute certainty. And George is obliged to believe that he's telling him what he thinks to be the truth. 

"Okay."

* * *

_ There are times the moon is loud. When the sun has died out and when it becomes quiet and dull, the moon will be there to chase the darkness away. It's times like those when the moon starts to glow bright, providing a cool and comforting light when the sun cannot.  _

_ The moon may not shine loud and bright very often— just as the sun may not quieten and soften as much as the moon does—, but when it counts, when all else is lost in the darkness, the moon will scream and cheer and shine brighter than any other star.  _

* * *

They're washing up in George's house when he makes a mistake. 

Sapnap had collapsed earlier, his leg finally giving out after not treating his wound for so long. (George screeched in horror after discovering the mess that was his leg and quickly rushed home to treat it.) It came as no surprise to Sapnap when it was found that his leg was infected. He's just surprised that he's managed to walk for this long. 

Even more surprised that he's not going to have to amputate it. 

The wound is sickening and gruesome. It's swollen red and purple, scabs sticking to the arrow and it's starting to become a sickly yellow around the wound. George washes the wound and removes the scabs swiftly, hoping to not irritate it further. It bleeds profusely when George quickly and carefully pulls the arrow out but he's thankful that there's nothing stuck inside the wound from the broken arrow. George cleans it again with water and alcohol, cleaning it out before stitching it closed. And as he wraps a bandage around Sapnap's calf, he thinks of how amazing Sapnap is. 

The boy is quiet throughout the process with the occasional winces and hisses of pain. He doesn't complain about it. He's not afraid of the pain and allows George to clean his wound quickly and efficiently. 

Later, George is insistent on helping Sapnap shower and is flustered when Sapnap pulls a face that  _ implies _ something. 

He yells denying the implications of how suspicious his wording sounded, stuttering and tripping over his words as he tries to explain. The younger boy lets out a bark of laughter, loud and full, calling him cute and George swears the boy is going to be the death of him. He fumes, although the feeling of embarrassment smothered the measly feeling of anger, his cheeks flushing red. 

"I'm telling you! I just don't trust you to wash up without ruining the bandages!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure ya do."

"J-just shut up," George grumbles, pushing Sapnap towards the bathroom. 

Sapnap is bright like light and loud like the sun. He's honest, open and headstrong. 

Everything that George isn't. 

—

That light quickly snuffs out later. 

And George is confused when it happens. 

The flame that was dancing with warmth and glee was doused with water. And the loud yet comforting crackling that came from it was muted. It left the room stuffy and cold and silent. The atmosphere reaches below freezing temperatures, sending involuntary shivers down George's spine. Too late George realizes that he's accidentally spilt a bucket of water over the flames, extinguishing it.

He had made a comment that was seemingly harmless as he dried Sapnap's hair. Like a bucket that he'd thought was empty, but was actually filled to the brim with dark and murky water. 

But now unshed tears pool at the corner of the younger boy's eyes, and it threatens to spill over as Sapnap's hands curl tightly into fists. His body shakes with poorly concealed tremors, and he bites his lips so hard George worries that it'll split if Sapnap bites any harder. 

It was an offhand comment, a mindless tease about the twin buns on Sapnap's head. George smiled, teasingly,—after the shower, when the buns had already been removed— at the boy. He sarcastically asks the boy who was kind enough to tie proper buns on his head, mentioning that he doubts Sapnap is smart enough to know something like that. 

A harmless joke.

Or so George had thought. Sapnap seemed to be fine with jabs at his intellect and other things about him. He's able to tell that George didn't mean half the things he said and would respond in kind to the sardonic jokes. 

However, George guesses that he'd taken it too far. Perhaps he is sensitive about his intelligence? But that wouldn't make sense since he would have accidentally triggered a similar reaction a while ago. Maybe he made one too many dry jokes and so Sapnap couldn't take it anymore?

In any case, the older boy is unsure of what to do. George has never had to deal with an upset person before. Or, well, he had never dealt with upsetting someone he actually cared about— most tend to stay away from him. 

So yes, George is panicking. He could feel beads of perspiration forming on his temples despite having freshened up just a few minutes before. He sputters and chokes on his words, struggling to form words of assurance and comfort and an appropriate apology to Sapnap. 

Besides, what was he to say? 'Hey sorry for making you cry unintentionally because I thought you were cool with me insulting you?', yeah, no. George finally settles on awkwardly placing a hand on his back and gently rubbing circles on it. 

Though the action apparently was the wrong move to do as tears start to flow down like waterfalls. It drips onto and dampens borrowed clothes as George had demanded for Sapnap to let him wash them. 

"I- uh, buh- uhm... you okay?" he coughs out, cringing at his words and screaming at himself internally. 'I'm a moron,' he bites back a groan. 

"Sorry..." it's soft and nearly inaudible, it's honestly a miracle George hears it. 

"Sorry? What for? I should be apologizing," George frowns, confused. 

"It's just... my best friend... he's gone and it's my fault, and you just reminded me..." Sapnap trails off, and George is silent for a while. 

He has many questions. What happened? When was this? If it happened a while ago who tied your hair? What do you mean by gone? He has several but none of them were ever voiced. 

It's...unnerving to see someone so bright become so dull. And to be the cause of that dullness is something George would not like to be.

He has no experience whatsoever to be able to know what to do in situations such as this. He's been alone for as long as he could remember. His inability to make friends is evident and it becomes clearer and clearer each passing day. And even when there were people in the house, he still felt so alone and  _ cold _ . 

All he knows are numbers and laws. It's preset for him, the foundation laid and all he has to do is to apply. The rules set and numbers guide him and tell him what boundaries to push. It tells him when to stop and when to refrain, give up and find another option. 

He knows how to make things last. How to bargain. How to get the maximum value of what he's worth. 

He barely knows people. He only knows what numbers they're attracted to, what numbers they want to hear and what numbers they can just  _ barely _ agree with. 

He doesn't know why. He doesn't know how they come to that number. Or what they really want to hear from another human being. 

His longest and most faithful friends are the rules and the numbers. 

George doesn't know people, and doesn't ever want to know. If it were any other person, he probably wouldn't have cared. But instead the person in front of him is Sapnap. The one who's upset and wrecked with distress is Sapnap. It's Sapnap so he cares. George doesn't understand  _ why _ . 

He's just a young boy, there are many others just like him. 

And yet, there aren't. 

So the next words that come out of George's mouth are heavily weighed and considered. He could change the topic, but it won't remove the elephant in the room. He could prod and push, but that's a bridge that was just begging to break give way. So he settles with something in between. 

"Would you like for me to tie them up again?"

It's silent for a hot while. There's an itch below George's skin that prickles and urges him to backtrack and take back his words. But he doesn't and waits. 

"...yes please," the voice is croaky, it breaks a little and it's thick with heavy emotion. He doesn't comment on it as he takes out Sapnap's rubber bands from his inventory. 

He doesn't mention the tears that slowly stream down flushed tanned cheeks as he bunches up a chunk of obsidian coloured hair. And his lips stayed closed, his teeth slightly nibbling on it as Sapnap sniffles softly, a wobbly, bittersweet smile forming on his face. 

George doesn't know people, he doesn't know friendship, and all he knows are numbers and rules. 

But for Sapnap he'll try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> George and Sapnap has a 3 year age gap :)  
> So in this, George is 17, Sapnap is 14, and Dream is 15
> 
> There's probably a shit ton of mistakes in this chapter :')   
> I'm not sure if I went through it enough so if you see any mistakes feel free to correct me!!!
> 
> George is a grumpy boiiii  
> Poor Sapnap is a sadnap
> 
> A small hint on what is going to be featured in the next chapter:  
> *Whispers* It's Dream  
> And there's going to be quite a few fighting scenes 
> 
> Please save me and my writing skills, i can barely write fight scenes to save my life. :'))))  
> Hope ya'll enjoyed! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and Kudos are greatly appreciated!!!  
> If ya'll have theories i don't mind reading them :0000


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